Virtual Global & Public Health Internship - Ghana

The CFHI Ghana Virtual Internship was an incredibly impactful experience that exceeded my expectations. While the program was virtual, the opportunity to connect with healthcare professionals in Ghana provided me with a unique perspective on global health. Through live sessions and discussions, I gained a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by the healthcare system in Ghana, particularly around maternal health and public health outreach. One of the highlights was the collaborative learning environment—working alongside passionate peers from across the globe and engaging with the local team in Ghana gave me a deeper appreciation for the importance of cultural competence in healthcare. The virtual cultural exchange sessions also helped me better understand Ghanaian traditions, food, and daily life, making the experience feel more personal and immersive. This internship has not only strengthened my understanding of public health in a global context but has also inspired me to continue working toward solutions for healthcare challenges in underserved communities. I highly recommend this program to anyone looking to broaden their global health perspective, regardless of their background.

I had the opportunity of participating in the CFHI Virtual Program for Ghana. Through this program, I gained much insight and exposure to what Ghana's healthcare system is like, as well as the societal, political, economic, and cultural factors that contribute to their identity as a country today. The nuances and intersections in much categories was insightful to learn about as well as their rich culture. I learned so much through the activities, modules, and discussions we had in groups with the program director. Overall, I learned to apply many skills and came out with so much learned about Ghana, its identity as a country, its people, and more. I was able to gain a better perspective and understanding of important health issues prevalent in many countries such as the AIDS/HIV epidemic along with numerous communicable and non-communicable diseases.

I was selected as the recipient for Susan Hershey Memorial Scholarship (4-Week Virtual) to participate in a Child Family Health International (CFHI) Virtual Global Health Internship - Ghana. Participating in this virtual health internship has been a transformative journey. The program's structure was well-organized, allowing me to delve into various aspects of the healthcare field from the comfort of my home. The areas I found most enriching were the trainings on Global and intercultural competency, Interpersonal effectiveness and engagement strategies. The online platform provided seamless access to resources and opportunities for learning. I was impressed by the guidance and mentorship provided throughout the internship. Dr. Charles Chineme Nwobu: CFHI Ghana Medical and Program Director was approachable and eager to share his expertise. His insights and advice have been invaluable in shaping my understanding of healthcare practices and strategies. During my internship, I had the chance to learnt about Ghana, Health Systems challenges faced by low/middle-income countries, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Factors influencing the Spread of HIV, Case Presentation and Socio-economic Detereminants of Health. This hands-on experience has been instrumental in refining my skills and enhancing my confidence in a virtual healthcare setting. Moreover, the interactive nature of the internship, including virtual group discussions and collaborative projects, allowed for meaningful peer interactions. Connecting with fellow interns and sharing experiences further enriched the overall learning experience. I wholeheartedly recommend Child Family Health International (CFHI) Global virtual ans public health internship to aspiring healthcare professionals. It provides a comprehensive and insightful glimpse into the modern healthcare landscape, preparing individuals for the future of digital healthcare. Thank you once again for this incredible opportunity and for the enriching experience I had during my virtual global and public health internship with your esteemed program. I look forward to applying the knowledge and skills acquired during this internship to my future endeavors in healthcare.

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This experience is perfect for those curious about global health and looking to further their knowledge through the lens of a particular country. During the program, you have the opportunity to learn from the perspective of your program host and create a relationship both with the host and your classmates, who all bring valuable perspectives. The program also allows the opportunity to collaborate with students from other programs and backgrounds, which creates a wonderful atmosphere to learn about some important general topics in global health. Each expert was engaging and welcoming, inspiring creativity and curiosity in all students! I felt comfortable to ask my program host anything and feel comfortable to reach out after the program about more opportunities for furthering my knowledge. On top of that, participants have access to a wealth of resources from CFHI that allow you to expand upon topics of curiosity, and importantly, to view global health work ethically. I would recommend this program to someone with a hunger to know what the field of global health is all about, and to those who want to open their minds to health care in a global context

Working with Child Family Health Internationally was wonderful! I had opportunity to expand my knowledge and awareness about cultural differences, and how to have better interpersonal communication. They provided me with great tools to learn about professionalism and intercultural effectiveness within the global health field during my 4-week virtual internship. I really enjoy the space they created for us to meet doctors and professionals from all over the world to bring awareness to disparities within health systems and global issues. Their realities and how it is important to dig deeper to understand how we can make a change was a great start to learning how to support my own community. I enjoyed learning about my country of choice from home and found it very meaningful to learn about its culture and traditions. I feel more confident now approaching and communicating with people from different backgrounds and plan to use the tools from CFHI throughout my career working internationally.

My experience with the virtual CFHI Ghana program was a memorable one and a great learning opportunity. Not only did I learn about the Ghanian culture and traditions such as the many staple foods. I learn't about the different social factors that may influence the decisions and choices of people and as patients. This also helped me to understand how I would need to approach patients in similar settings. Through the program we discussed and analysed clinical case scenarios, this has contributed to my preparation for my internship once I graduate from medical school. This program has been very enlightening and through it I have also met people from different countries and learned about the healthcare practices in their respective countries. I have enjoyed being a part of the CFHI program and I would recommend this opportunity, I learned about many different aspects beyond the healthcare system and I will forever be grateful for this opportunity.

It was great that the program is now offered virtually. The highlights of the program were, learning about the different public health issues in different countries, meeting new people and Dr. Nwobu was the best. The most interesting activity was creating Papers about your specific country.

You leave with an open mind and an even bigger desire to go out in the world to learn and work more with others. The small group discussions based off readings and videos we watched was very interesting. The biggest highlight of the program was learning all about the culture of Ghana.

I am glad to be able to complete the virtual practicum experience despite the Covid-19 pandemic. It was great to be able to get a Global Health experience virtually. I was also able to connect with the host experience and work on a project that would potentially be beneficial. I liked being able to directly engage with the preceptor and work with him to create a project that is most relevant to the host organization and also one that is structured around my own work field.

The main highlights of the program were the Friday Global Professional Discussion, Learning about the healthcare systems in various countries. I think Learning about the culture of Ghana and the Global Health Professional Seminars were the most interesting activities.

I found that I learned a lot from this program that I wouldn't have been likely to find anywhere else. Some of the highlights: - learning about Ghana and its culture - listening to people speak from all around the world who had different stories and went through different career paths - learning more about the HIV/AIDS pandemic and comparing it to the coronavirus - being exposed to different career paths and gaining a better sense of what I want to do in the future - learning about what global health is and how people are involved in it in different ways

This program is a good eye-opener for those who want to pursue global health or those who want to learn more about different cultures and the problems that afflict them. I like interacting with my classmates and reflecting on the material that we learned together.

It is a good experience to get to work with other countries. If I could do it again and not during a pandemic I would have like to travel. Getting to know the issues that exist in teen pregnancy in Ghana was my highlight. I really liked the director seminars as well.

The presentations and video elements were very informative, but I particularly enjoyed the candid conversation amongst my group and our teacher about real issues and how they are being tackled. I have gained such valuable insight into other cultures and ways of life through these discussions, and my mindset has been expanded for the better. I think that the experience I have had learning about and experiencing aspects of other cultures and ways of life has been incredibly valuable, and will help me to be more empathetic and understanding in both daily life and in my career.

The Group Collaboration during weekly seminars and the insight provided by Dr. Nwobu were the highlights of the program. Yes, I would recommend the program to other people. I think the most interesting activities were the live sessions and small group discussions.

I think that it opened my mind about how healthcare and medicine is in other parts of the world. Even though I was not able to full experience Ghana through travel I think this program did well in teaching me about Ghana and the people that live there. Learning about such a different culture is such a amazing experience and I am so happy I was able to do it.

I found it amazing and would recommend anyone interested in public health to participate. I learned so much and was given the opportunity to ask questions which furthered my learning. I personally really enjoyed the discussions.

You gain a great perspective on global health and how to help build the health of a community. Main highlights: - learning about Ghana culture - learning and gaining a deeper understanding of the main health issues in Ghana - learning how to help build the health of a community

The preceptor, Dr. Charles Nwobu was very professional, down-to-earth, and knowledgeable about the health care systems in Ghana. The members of my cohort contributed to our class discussions on different topics and I learned a lot from their perspectives.

The main highlights of the program were the class discussion about different public health topics in my specific country of choice. It is a holistic view of global public health cultural competency, covid-19 responses. I would recommend the program to people I know.